Research Associate

This post is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of a project grant awarded to Professor Snelgrove and Dr Dean. The post-holder will be part of Professor Snelgrove’s group within the Inflammation, Development & Repair Section and Dr Dean’s group within the Cardio-Respiratory Interface Section; both groups are based at Imperial College, South Kensington Campus.

Effective epithelial repair is central to restoration of lung function but declines with ageing and is aberrant in disease states. Currently, there are no treatments able to restore damaged lung tissue, and this is clearly an urgent clinical need. A fuller understanding of endogenous pathways and underlying mechanisms governing epithelial repair is critical to long term respiratory health and identification of novel therapeutic strategies that promote lung regeneration. To date most of the research to understand the mechanisms driving intrinsic lung repair have focused on identifying stem/progenitor populations and the growth factors that regulate them. However, it is poorly understood how microenvironmental cues, which are equally important, orchestrate appropriate and targeted epithelial repair responses. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a three-dimensional meshwork of proteins and other factors that supports the structure of the lungs and acts as a scaffold for cells that populate the lungs. We are interested in a small fragment of this ECM called Pro-Gly-Pro (PGP). We believe that PGP is released in response to injury and then subsequently acts to direct localised epithelial repair to seal the breach to the external environment, whilst simultaneously causing the influx of neutrophils to sterilise the lung tissue. We also believe that pathways governing the levels of PGP may be disrupted in disease settings. Consequently, understanding how PGP promotes repair responses could yield novel treatments to counteract lung injury. This position will investigate the role of PGP in promoting lung repair through the application of primary human lung epithelial cells, precision cut lung slices and animal model of lung injury.

The post holder will use systems well established in the groups but will have the freedom to develop novel systems to investigate our hypothesis. Once appointed, the post holder will be involved in developing and driving the project as well as writing up work for presentation and publication. The ability to work independently and as part of a team, excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills are essential. This project provides an excellent opportunity for a driven individual to investigate an exciting research question, using a variety of cutting-edge approaches.

• To conduct murine models of lung injury (naphthalene and influenza) - performing immunisations, assessment of histological changes, sampling of the airways and tissue processing.


• To culture and manipulate primary human airway epithelial cells, with ensuing downstream assessment of phenotypic and functional changes.


• To perform precision cut lung slices and assess repair responses to localised injuries through the application of imaging technologies.


• investigate phenotypic and molecular characteristics of pulmonary epithelial cells in health and disease by flow cytometry and transcriptomic analysis.


• To conduct cytokine assays, histological analysis, immunofluorescence/confocal microscopy, RNA extraction and real time PCR.


• To conduct and plan own scientific work with appropriate supervision.


• To contribute to the design of future experiments.


• To maintain highly organised and accurate record of experimental work.

• To conduct data analysis, ensuring the validity and reliability of data at all times.

• To contribute to the smooth running of the Group’s laboratories and, facilities with other scientists, clinicians, technicians and students within the laboratories.


• To participate in Group research meetings and internal seminars.


• To publish in high quality journals and to present data at national and international meetings.


• To assist with the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research students and research assistants as required.

• To develop contacts and research collaborations within the College and the wider community.

• Research Associate: PhD degree in Biological Sciences, ideally with a high immunology content, or equivalent industrial or commercial experience.


• Previous experience working in a research laboratory.


• In depth knowledge of inflammation biology and immunology.


• Experience of murine models of (preferably respiratory) disease, including use of complex transgenic mice.


• Experience or working with primary human airway epithelial cells.


• Experience of working with precision cut lung slices.


• Experience with multi-parameter flow cytometry and cell sorting.


• Experience in immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy.


• Strong publication record.

The post is offered full time for 36 months following a successful probation period. Based at South Kensington campus until Autumn 2024, then Hammersmith campus.

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £40,694 - £43,888 per annum.

For technical issues when applying online please email [email protected]

Please complete an online application to be considered.

The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA),which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/

The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research /